George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the
University of Maryland, with awards that include the American
Sociological Association's Distinguished Contribution to Teaching
Award. He is the author of numerous books including The
McDonaldization of Society (1993; 2008), The Globalization
of Nothing (2003; 2007) Globalization: A Basic Text
(2010) and the editor of The Encyclopedia of Social Theory
(2005), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007),
The Blackwell Companion to Globalization (2007) and the
forthcoming The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization. His
work has been translated into over twenty languages.

J. Michael Ryan is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the
University of Maryland at College Park. He was senior managing
editor of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007) and
is managing editor of the online edition of that project as well as
for several other forthcoming encyclopedias from Blackwell. Mike
also served as managing editor of the Journal of Consumer
Culture for four years. He has published more than a dozen
articles and book chapters on consumption, sexuality,
globalization, and social theory and has been the recipient of
numerous awards for his commitment to teaching, LGBT rights, and
social change.

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(Reference Reviews, 2012)

"This text is designed to be a smaller, more readable, and less
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texts in sociology, the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology."
(Booknews, 1 April 2011)

"Comprehensive and concise, this book is an unbeatable guide to
modern sociology for faculty and students alike. Equally a major
contribution to the discipline of sociology and a cornucopia of
concepts, figures, and issues, it is written in authoritative but
accessible language. A major triumph in the publishing
world."
—Bryan S. Turner, The Graduate Center, City University
of New York

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impressive reference for students and others looking for up-to-date
and informed explanations of sociological concepts and
ideas."
—Amy S. Wharton, Washington State University

"An invaluable guide for anyone interested in knowing about the
history of social thought and studying the social world."
—Kate Nash, Goldsmiths, University of London

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